Need a Hand?
by kathrynwerewolves14
Summary: Peter Parker, living a semi-normal life as he took a break from crime fighting, realized that during the days after Gwen's death, a new girl had joined some of his classes at the University. Juliet Bonheur was her name and she was beautiful with her dark brown hair and chocolate colored eyes. Little did Peter know, she was hiding a secret similar to his own.
1. Prologue

**Hello all and welcome to my new story! I have had this idea brewing for awhile and after sending out some feelers on tumblr, I decided to let this all come to life!**

**It's going to be a post Gwen story so I'm sorry for all you Gwen lovers that she isn't in it! I love her character too but I've wanted to write an OC for Peter for awhile.**

**All right, so, without further ado, here's the prologue for Need a Hand?**

* * *

The best kind of promise is one that cannot be kept.

No one ever thinks of the consequences that can come from it though. It was something Peter Parker never thought would happen so soon; so fast.

Gwen Stacy was dead. Justice prevailed but at what price?

* * *

Peter Parker stood in front of the grey headstone baring the name 'Gwen Stacy'; unshed tears glistening in his eyes. It had become a routine for him, visiting where she rested in the early evening, right before the sunset, so he couldn't be bothered. Peter tried to keep functioning but what was the point of living if she wasn't there? What was the point of him being Spider-man if he didn't have her to share it with?

He had hung up the role of Spider-man for now. It hurt too much to put that suit on. It only reminded him of what had happened when he last wore it. New York could fight for itself for the time being. It had been functioning fine before he showed up on the scene and it could do it again.

White spirals of smoke came from his mouth as Peter exhaled harshly. Pulling his jacket tighter around his body, he rested the white rose he was twirling in his fingers on the ground at the foot of the headstone.

"I miss you." He whispered into the wind before turning his back on the grave, a lone tear trailing down his face.

* * *

Peter decided to take the long way back to Aunt May's, where he had been staying to feel less lonely. The sharp sound of sirens flooded his ears as he walked down the street. Peter ducked into an alleyway and proceeded to climb up the side of a reasonably tall building to see what all the commotion was about. Even though he wasn't performing his heroic duties, Peter still watched what happened in the city when he was around.

The street had been blocked further up the road from traffic as a man held a gun to a young woman's head, demanding a ransom for the hostage. The police had barricaded him so he had nowhere to run but the gun was a threat and they didn't need another life taken due to petty criminals.

Suddenly the whistling sound of an arrow flying threw the air cause Peter to turn and look up to the nearby building. The silhouette of a woman was visible; bow in hand, dark hair fluttering in the wind. Peter followed the path the arrows had taken and saw they had succeeding in two things: safely ridding the man of the gun, letting it dangle from an arrow that had pierced a nearby van and freeing the hostage due to an arrow, that once attached to a point, shoots out a rope to disable a person. The police were baffled as to who the archer was. Immediately after the capture, a single solid silver arrow was shot down at the ground as a calling card. Shouts of "look up!" and "over there!" could be heard through the crowds of people. They could see the same thing Peter could see, the figure of a woman with a spotlight behind her.

Peter was stunned by the whole spectacle. The woman lowered her bow and turned her head, letting the light flash off of a silver mask, hiding her identity.

Satisfied with her job, she notched another arrow and aimed it at a high building. Once fired towards its destination, the arrowhead broke into three parts, turning into a grappling hook. Tugging the rope left behind, the young woman presses a button on her bow and is pulled up through the air, out of sight.

Peter turns his gaze back down at the single silver arrow still stuck in the ground. He could only think one thing, who was that woman?


	2. Chapter 1

**I am so sorry for such a long wait but it turns out writing a story from scratch was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. I have everything figured out on how I want this story to go so updates should be coming a bit easier for me to post. Hope you all like the new chapter and as always, let me know what you think! -Kathryn**

* * *

Peter Parker sits atop one of the taller buildings in New York; letting his long legs dangle over the side. It was just before sunrise and he had been awoken before his alarm due to the nightmares that were haunting him. It seemed as though every time he closed his eyes, the entire scene of Gwen's death played. Peter rubbed his tired eyes as a gentle fall breeze carded though his disheveled hair. He knew that his first class of the day was starting soon and he couldn't stay up on the top of that building all day. Peter stared out at the New York skyline, slowly directing his gaze up to the sky.

"This huge city seems so small without you here to share it with me," he muttered before sighing. Peter pulled on his jacket, slinging his backpack over his shoulder before triggering his web mechanism and soaring down to an empty alleyway. He straightened his clothes and stepped out of the dark, into the sunlight to make his trek to the university.

* * *

The campus was buzzing with life as Peter dragged himself towards the science building. Despite his intelligence and thirst for knowledge, he was having a hard time focusing on academics when his life was in shambles. Peter passed by numerous people twittering about with enthusiasm and life, keeping his head down and ultimately wanting to just get his day over with. Nodding thanks to the girl who held the door open for him, Peter found himself outside of his lecture hall. Sighing, he entered the room, finding a seat towards the middle of the room.

Peter slumped down in his chair in his first lecture of the day. In order for him to continue on with his normalcy, attending class was a priority. Gwen wouldn't have wanted him to drop out and ruin his education. He turned his gaze outside the nearby window, watching other students walk by. His eyes landed on a tall brunette who was staring right back at him. She gave him a small wave and a bright smile before continuing on her way. After the accidental interaction, Peter rested his head on his arms, waiting for the professor to show up and start the lesson.

A few minutes later, the door the professor usually enters through opens but he is not who appears in front of the class. The brunette Peter saw outside was standing in the doorway, fiddling with the end of her long scarf. The professor enters in quickly behind her, giving a warm smile to the young lady.

"Good morning class, before we start let me introduce our new student. This is Juliet Bonheur, she's a transfer student who came on a high recommendation from a fellow colleague and personal friend of mine. So if you need a tutor, Miss Bonheur is excellent." The brunette, Juliet, gives a humble smile at the introduction. "Okay, let's talk biology people." The professor allows Juliet to find a seat as he moves to his podium to begin his lecture.

Peter watches as Juliet walks up the aisle next to him a take a seat diagonally in front of him. She noticed his gaze as she sits down and gives him another dazzling smile, which warmed his sad heart. He had not seen a smile that bright and inviting since his time with Gwen. Peter was not expecting to feel his spirit lift a bit at the sight of the new girl's smile.

Juliet turned her attention to the front of the class and began to take detailed notes while Peter wrote down the new material, keeping one eye on the brunette. The professor would often call on Juliet to add some extra points to the topic. It turns out that she was incredibly smart, often commenting on things Peter would not have brought up in certain topics.

As class ended, Juliet proceeded to gather her things quickly and returned to the front of the classroom. Peter slowly put his notes back in his bag, sneaking gazes at Juliet.

"Wait, Parker!" Peter turned at the sound of his name and noticed the professor waving him down to the front of the room. Picking up his bag, he trudged towards the professor, wondering why he was being called out.

"I'll meet you in my office Juliet, this won't take long." Juliet smiled at the approaching Peter before continuing her conversation.

"Of course, I'm going to swing by at pick up a coffee before our meeting if that's all right? Would you like anything?" Her voice was light and melodic but smooth, dragging the listener in. It was something Peter wouldn't mind hearing more often.

The professor waved her off, "I'm fine. I'll be right there." Juliet nodded, signaling her exit and left out of the doors she came in through at the start of the lesson. The professor turned his full attention to Peter who was fiddling with the strap of his backpack.

"Don't look so nervous Parker, I'm not here to reprimand you or anything." Peter grimaced, indicating that he was thinking the worst of this conversation. "I'm glad you're back in class, a mind like yours is always wanted here. The reason I called you up here was that I noticed that you missed a few classes so that means you're behind on the notes. It's no big deal, we're human, we need a few days to ourselves. So this big packet is for you." He withdrew a large pile of papers from his briefcase, decorated with multi-colored sections, showing that someone had categorized the notes. "I had briefly mentioned you missing notes in passing to Juliet before she transferred and she came in this morning with all of this, so you should thank her."

"Thanks Professor Wilson, I'll be sure to thank her too." Peter looked at the packet of notes; they were detailed and organized in a way that would help him study more efficiently. He made a mental note to try and find Juliet before the day was over. Peter put the notes into his bag and headed out towards his next class.

* * *

Peter's day had finally ended and he had yet to catch a glimpse of Juliet. The sun had set and the city that never sleeps was plunged into the dark night. Peter slowly walked the familiar streets trying to make his way home.

Suddenly, a flash of dark hair and a flowing scarf caught his attention. Up ahead was Juliet, walking quickly and constantly checking her surroundings as she walked down the sidewalk. It looked as though she had a bulky bag hanging over her shoulder and Peter didn't recall her having that in class that morning. He attempted to catch up to her but Juliet took a sudden turn and Peter lost sight of her in the crowd. Continuing on his way, Peter didn't notice the feminine figure that was lurking in the nearby alleyway.

The sharp sounds of sirens reached his ears as a sports car flew by with several police cars in pursuit. Peter was tempted to change into his suit, which was currently burning a hole in the bottom pocket of his bag. He shook his head and continued to watch the cars speed by. Suddenly, several arrows, in rapid succession, landed in the driver's side tires causing the car to slow down.

The car thief slammed on the breaks, furiously hitting the steering wheel as the police caught up to him but his frustration was short lived. Another arrow flew in the back window, lodging itself in the back seat. The thief turned to investigate but was met with silver colored gas, which caused him to become drowsy. He attempted to get out of the car but got as far as opening the door and slumping over on to it, fast asleep. The gas immediately stopped spewing from the arrow and police swiftly surrounded the car.

Peter watched how fast the situation was handled, amazed at the skills of the archer. He watched as the police removed a silver arrow from the back seat of the car and immediately deciphered the person who was behind the shooting.

The familiar feminine figure was perched a top the building adjacent to the stopped car, observing her handy work. Peter watched as she repelled down the building and took off towards the warehouse he used to train in. Deciding to follow her, Peter broke out into a run, taking the quickest path there in hopes of catching a glimpse of the mysterious female vigilante.

He slowed his pace as he entered the warehouse. It was completely silent except for the slight echo of Peter's footsteps. Feeling discouraged after loosing the woman, Peter sighing and gazed at the red spider emblem painted on the wall. Suddenly, the releasing of an arrow sounded and soared over his head, lodging itself in the center of his symbol; it's silver coating glinting in the moonlight. A compartment on the arrow seemed to open and a piece of paper came fluttering down out of it. Peter walked over to pick it up. He read the message and chuckled, surveying the area for any sign of the woman. Peter looked down at the paper once again and missed the flutter of dark brown hair retreating from the platform above him.

Peter shoved the paper into his pocket, viewed the arrow sticking out from the spider emblem one more time, and started the trip home, replaying the words etched on the sheet over and over.

**Figured you needed a hand.**

**Hope to see you at some point Spider-man**

**Yours,**

**Silver Arrow**


	3. Chapter 2

**Ta Da! So finally updated, thank you all for being patient about it. It's really hard writing a story basically from scratch and I appreciate all the support and feedback! As always, questions and comments are always welcome!**

* * *

As time progressed, it seemed as though the city had a new vigilante since Spider-man had disappeared. Crime levels had begun to level out due to the female archer. Whoever she was, she was skilled and knew what she was doing. Peter had been trying to follow the archer but she always managed to slip from his grasp when he got close. He also hadn't received any more notes from her after the one she left in her arrow. It was as if she was a ghost; you see her for a brief moment but when you look again she was gone. It was this fact that had Peter seriously debating on bringing him back out from retirement.

* * *

Juliet could tell things where bothering Peter as he sat in the lecture hall, completely oblivious to everything but his own thoughts. On his desk next to him, there lay a newspaper with the headline '_New Masked Crusader saves the day!'_ The papers had dubbed the newest vigilante 'Silver Arrow' due to the silver mask she wore, her trusty bow and changeable arrowheads, and the trademark silver arrow that was left at each crime scene she helped. It said that she was like the female version of Hawkeye. Folding the copy of the paper, Juliet tucked it back into her bag and bit her lip. She was struggling to stop the all-knowing smile from creeping on to her face.

Taking her usual seat, Juliet slowly sipped her coffee, hoping that the caffeine would put a kick back in to her step. It had become evident that the lack of sleep was beginning to catch up with her body. Granted you could never tell that she had been pulling all-nighters the past couple days. It was if she had some form of accelerated healing, allowing her to constantly look refreshed. Her skin was still a creamy pale color, no evidence of sleep depravity on her face whatsoever. Her dark brown hair and eyes were still shiny and full of life. Juliet could get a job as a model with her looks but was more dedicated to her studies. It wasn't as if she was oblivious to how she looked, it was that her parent's put such a strong emphasis on intellect instead of beauty. Shaking her head at the mere thought of her parents, she sighed and rubbed her temples.

As she sat in class, she mulled over her own thoughts, much like Peter was doing before the lecture began. The main thought in her head was trying to maintain the balance between her daily activities and her nighttime adventures. So far, it seemed as though her nightly job had begun to overtake her life and was in dire need of something… well, normal. As the Professor finished his lecture, Juliet was pulled out from her thoughts and quickly put away her notes. Hearing her name called, she perked her head up searching for the voice calling her. The Professor was waving her to the front of the room.

"Ah, yes Juliet! Just the girl I was looking for!"

"What can I do for you, sir?" He smiled and pulled out a packet of papers for her.

"I was hoping you would be able to take a look at this set of notes for the upcoming chapters. This is your area of expertise and would love to have you give the lectures for them. Have them back by next class?" Juliet nodded, agreeing to the task she had been given.

This is how Juliet found herself immersed in material in one of the open communal labs with papers and books covering her workspace. It seemed as though she wasn't the only person trying to get work done with the materials they had access to. Across the room, Peter Parker was fiddling with some kind of device that was shooting out a thick string. It looked like a copy of whatever Spider-man used to swing around the city. Professor Wilson had mentioned that Peter could rival her intelligence and that was why she felt compelled to make copies of her notes for all the classes he missed. In her mind, Peter seemed like a good ally to have in the scientific world. Making a spur of the moment decision, Juliet jumped up from her seat, adjusting the denim that hung over her shoulders and draped over a patterned circle skirt, before heading over towards Peter.

"Hi!"

"Ahhh!" Peter jumped off of his stool at Juliet's sudden appearance causing her to grin sheepishly at his reaction. "Hi, Juliet. How are you?"

" I'm fine." She took a step closer into his workspace. "Oh wow…" her voice breathy with awe. "That looks really intricate." Cautiously she bent down to observe the device, lightly plucking the string that stuck to the adjacent board. "Actually, when I saw you working on it, it reminded me of how Spider-man used to get around town." Juliet jumped up from her hunched position, humor flooding her face. "Maybe you're Spidey!"

Peter's eyes grew wide at the accusation. "Ha… well that's not what this is for, nope, not at all. I know nothing about Spider-man. Nada, nothing, nope." He spoke quickly, stuttering over his words; his voice indicating how flustered he was.

"It was a joke, Peter." Juliet wore an amused smile at how red Peter had gotten at her calling him Spider-man.

"Right…" He released the breath he was holding and ran a hand through his hair. The smile on Juliet's face never faltered.

"Well, I actually came over here for a reason." Taking a seat on Peter's vacated stool, she crossed her legs and smiled even more sweetly. "I need some help with my studying. I was wondering if you'd mind quizzing me for a bit?"

Peter could feel his heart skip a beat and the sweet and kind look Juliet was giving him. He hadn't felt this way in a long time, it hurt to think of the reason why. Regardless of the hurt, the sweetness of Juliet's smile filled him with warmth, coating his insides with new feelings.

"Y-yeah, anything for you." Juliet's smile seemed to brighten even more at his reply. Standing up from the stool, she clapped her hands in excitement.

"Oh great! Thank you! How about we meet here tomorrow? 3-o-clock? I'll bring the coffee." With another dazzling smile, she left before he could say no, not realizing she was leaving behind a dazed, yet happy, Peter.

Peter honestly had no idea what caused him to act that way in front of Juliet. It was like he was just learning how to talk to girls again. As he watched her walk away, skirt slightly swaying as she moved, Peter allowed a small smile to creep on to his face. Maybe hanging out with Juliet would be good for him since he had isolated himself for so long. Turning back to his webbing device, he made the final touch up before putting it back in to the pocket that held his suit. After the good afternoon he had, maybe it was time for him to take back to the sky.

* * *

Night had fallen on the city and, for once, it was a quiet night. A familiar figure was crouched on the back on a gargoyle, observing the busy streets below. The red and blue of the suit stood out against the gray of the stone. He had originally just put the suit on and climbed the building to watch the sun set but now he had an itching in his veins for flight. Peter hadn't flown through the city in a long time and missed the rush of swinging through the air. Standing up, Peter released a strand of his webbing and launched himself into the sky.

The sensation of floating and falling was familiar, comforting, as Peter glided through the night. He had found a peace within him that he hadn't had in weeks. Just him and the rush of flying through the calm sky. Landing on top of one of the taller apartment buildings, he realized this was the area where he first saw the female archer, Silver Arrow. Strange to think that it had only been a bit over a week since that sighting. He had been gone for weeks, the fact that someone had taken his role as savior was both comforting and unsettling. In a small part in the back of his mind he was convinced that she was only helping the city to lure him out and take his place, _permanently._ It was a crazy idea but the city had seen some pretty crazy things in the short time he'd been Spider-man. He knew nothing about the Silver Arrow but from the glimpses he'd seen, she seemed… _off._ For some reason, when he thought about it, Peter would be filled with sympathy. It was as if she was like him in ways but he severely doubted that a radioactive spider had bitten her and given her crazy good archery skills. Whatever it was, Peter had no idea and no clue if he ever would. With a sigh, Peter looked back up in to the night sky, wishing for the answers to all the questions running through his mind.

Unknown to Peter, the Silver Arrow was standing on a nearby roof top, arrow poised in her bow. She had been out, itching for a fight but instead found that Spider-man had come out of hiding. Stalking along the rooftops, she remained only a building or two behind him. She wondered if he ever got the note she left for him; that arrow was still embedded in the painted spider symbol. This was the night, the big confrontation with him she had been hoping for. Watching as he stopped on the roof of the adjacent building, she pressed one of the buttons on the side of her bow, rotating the different bolts inside her quiver. Once selecting the correct one, she readied the arrow, removing the small tail cap to reveal the end of a skinny black cable. Securing the end of the cable to a clip on her waist, she fired the arrow towards the building Spider-man was perched on. The bolt of the arrow broke off in to a hook, lodging itself in to the siding of the building. Tugging the cable, the Silver Arrow pressed a different button on her bow and was being pulled towards her stuck arrow.

Peter's enhanced senses prickled at the sound of an arrow hitting something nearby. Standing from his spot, he saw a black figure swing towards the building he was on and begin to ascend. Peter moved closer to the person but not close enough to be detected. Suddenly, a chill went down his spine at the sound of cracking rock. He saw the hook that was attached to the cable bringing the figure up start to creep up the wall, working itself off the ledge. The hook fully dislodged and flipped over the edge, accompanied by a terrified cry. Running off the edge of the building, Peter released his webbing towards the falling figure, grabbing them by the chest. He then launched another piece of webbing at a nearby building. Swinging himself and his current companion to the building, he swung his companion up in front of him, causing them to land with a soft groan.

Landing on his feet, he was finally able to see who was attempting to climb the other building. Standing to their feet, a shock of silver met Peter's eyes as they widened under his mask. Smoothing down her hair and adjusting the bow and quiver draped over her shoulder, she met his eyes, or well, where his mask had eyes.

"You must have all the ladies falling for you Spidey. Didn't think I would be joining that crowd so early." Her voice was light and teasing but the grateful look in her eyes was there.

Peter just stood there, watching her smile sheepishly at him, hair fluttering in the breeze. It took everything he had in that moment to commit this night to memory: the first time he met the Silver Arrow face-to-face.


End file.
